Obama said at a news conference Monday that comments by Missouri Congressman Todd Akin do not make sense.

Obama said, “Rape is rape” and said the idea of distinguishing among types of rape “doesn’t make sense to the American people and certainly doesn’t make sense to me.”

Obama said the comments underscore why politicians — a majority of whom are men— should not make decisions on behalf of women. Akin said in an interview Sunday that women’s bodies can prevent pregnancies in “a legitimate rape” and that conception is rare in such cases.

Akin, who is running to unseat Missouri’s Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, apologized for his comments Monday and said he plans to stay in the Senate race. .